Spitfire: Rise Again
by MazieFaye
Summary: Artemis is grieving for Wally, and it feels like no one else knows her pain. However, she doesn't have time to grieve, because she's got to find a way to get him back- before she gives birth.
1. Chapter 1

**Palo Alto**

 **June 21, 13:16 CDT**

Artemis lay on their bed, now her bed and sobbed. The love of her life, her partner in crime, her baywatch- was gone. He wasn't even dead for god's sakes, he was just _gone_. She curled up into a ball, holding onto his extra Kid Flash suit as if it was the only thing tethering her to the world anymore. She just layed there for a while until she fell into a painfully dreamless sleep.

 **June 23, 8:33 CDT**

Artemis woke to the smell of breakfast, forcing herself up from the bed; she proceeded to take a whiff: Blueberry pancakes. Wally's special recipe. She shot up in an instant _Oh thank god, it was all a nightmare. He hasn't really left!_ She ran from their small bedroom, through the narrow hall into the kitchen. her face fell when she entered, for instead of Wally, a solemn looking M'gann stood.

"Go away!" Artemis growled, she was not ready to put on a brave face, and tell everyone that she was okay, that this is the risk that they all take when they put on the mask. She needed to mourn him and be cowardly.

"I can't possibly know what you're feeling," M'gann started.

"No, you can't! You have never lost the one person in the entire world that makes you feel safe and loved and at peace! For god's sake, you used him as an excuse to shack up with Conner." She screamed. M'gann was quiet, and with a guilty face she reached for her bag and headed toward the door.

"We're here whenever you're ready." She said in a voice almost as soft as a whisper before exiting through the door. She held it together until she was sure that M'gann was out of range before she collapsed onto the floor in a puddle of tears.

 **June 24, 14:15 CDT**

Artemis sat on the couch, mindlessly petting Brucely. She and Mary had tried to go pick out a headstone but neither had been up to it, and after a long embrace they retreated to their respective houses. A knock came at the door, which caused Brucely to tackle Artemis and bark protectively, trying to guard his mourning master. The door opened, and Artemis could feel the large dog's muscles tense before he relaxed and lept of of Artemis to greet the stranger. Artemis turned to reveal Kaldur'ahm standing in the threshold.

"You really should not leave your door unlocked." He said.

"Please, just go away." Artemis pleaded.

'"I have found that when one wants most to be alone, they should not be left so." He replied, before sitting down on the adjacent chair. Artemis didn't have the strength to chase him away, so she just layed there in silence with him for a long, long time. She was almost asleep when his league alert went off, and he quietly left locking the door behind him, leaving her along- again.

 **June 30, 12:23 CDT**

Artemis had actually gotten herself up this morning, granted it _was_ noon but that was still a start. She sat on the edge of the bed for a while just thinking about all of the times she had had to shake Wally awake, and remind him even the Flash has to get up in the morning. She was pulled out of her daze by Brucely's whining. She was so thankful for that dog, and Wally for using his puppy eyes and guilting her into adopting him. She wrapped herself in his robe, a giant red flannel thing that smelled so stongly of Wally that Artemis began to cry a little, not because of the horrible smell but because she knew that Wally would never refuse to wash the robe ever again. She padded into her kitchen and opened the fridge, vaguely aware of the fact that M'gann had been sneaking into the house and her leaving food.

"Hey Dick," she said, without even turning.

"Hey." He responded. The lack of his natural tone intriguided Artemis more than she would care to admit, so she turned.

"How's Zee?" She asked.

"About as well as you'd expect a normal person to be." He said.

"If you consider this situation to be normal," Artemis remarked. To which Dick let out a small chuckle, before a thought dawned on Artemis.

"We shouldn't be laughing like this, not after what's happened." She said, her tone guilty.

"Well, I don't think that Wally would want you to be like this either." Dick replied. Artemis was taken aback, none of the others had actually argued with her.

"You don't get to tell me how to feel!" She hissed, her voice growing louder, "You sent him to his fucking death, Dick, why the hell are you even here?" She was shouting now, "How can you even look at yourself anymore, he was your best friend and you just let him die!" Then he did something that Artemis had never seen before, he caved.

"You're right." A lone tear rolling down his cheek. Artemis was swathed in regret. Wally was not just her's, he was Dick's best friend too.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." she said.

"No, you did." He responded, "But that's a good thing." He continued, "You need to get rid of all of these emotions inside of you or they will eat you alive... trust me, I know." Artemis remembered the loss of his parents, the news really had a field day when Bruce adopted him, too. So for the rest of the day Artemis just talked, about how she was angry at Wally for leaving and guilty for letting him go at all. Eventually, the two just started talking about their memories of Wally. It was the first good day Artemis had had in a long time.

 **July 27, 15:45 CDT**

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" She yelled to nothing in particular, feeling a little bit like the White Rabbit.

She ran into their small bathroom and slammed the door behind her. "God, Wally what did you do?"

Brucely whined outside the door as Artemis sat inside. Five minutes later she finally opened the door, edging herself to the edge of the bed. She pulled out her phone and dialed.

"Yello?" answered Dick.

"I need you to come over here." Artemis said softly, her voice trembling ever so slightly.

"What is it?" Dick asked, growing concerned over the emotion in her voice.

"I-I need some help," she responed.

"Are you okay?" Dick replied, his body tensing.

"No," Artemis replied, raising the white stick in her left hand to eye level. "I'm pregnant."


	2. Just The Beginning

Not that there are a lot of you reading this, well _any_ to be honest, I just wanted to apologize for the short chapter and the long waiting time between this and the first chapter! Final exams are a serious bitch and so many more excuses! This writing is therapeutic for me, so I promise to write as much as humanly possible, for whatever it's worth.

Thanks,

Mazie

* * *

 **July 27, 16:05 CDT**

"Are you sure about this?" Dick asked.

"Yeah, pretty sure." Artemis replied, a bit annoyed. It had been 20 minutes since Dick had gotten to her house, and 40 minutes since she had announced to him that she was pregnant with her dead boyfriend's spawn."Are you going to go see a doctor; to, you know, confirm it?" Dick asked again.

"I don't really see the point, I took every single test in a 3 block radius. All positive." Artemis retorted.

"Still Arty, you need to be certain that everything's okay," Dick pleaded, his voice softer now. Artemis saw the look of hope on his face, the thought that he could redeem himself to his best friend, that he _could_ protect those that Wally loved.

"Fine." Artemis yielded. It was curious to her that Dick was more protective of Wally's maybe baby than she was, it scared her too.

 **July 27, 16:45 CDT**

"Artemis Crick?" The nurse chided, her voice sickeningly sweet.

"It's Crock." Artemis growled as she and Dick walked towards the door. Overenthusiasm had always nauseated her. Artemis and Dick sat down in two very stiff, very uncomfortable chairs that sat in the corner of a small exam room.

"Doctor'll be in, in a moment!" Nurse happypants cheered.

A few minutes later the doctor entered,

"Hello, I'm Doctor Shore, it's nice to meet you," the woman held out her hand towards Artemis. "Now that we've confirmed your pregnancy, we need some more-" she cut off, noticing _the_ Dick Grayson in her exam room.

"Excuse me, but are you Dick Grayson?" she asked. Dick nodded, a bit irritated. "Anyway, as I was saying, we're going to need a little more information." She continued, now facing Dick. She pulled out Artemis' chart and began scribbling away- "Name?"

"Artemis Crock," Artemis responded, perturbed that the biggest news of her life seemed irrelevant to the doctor.

"Blood Type?"

"AB-,"

"Father of the baby?" Doctor Shore asked, side-eyeing Dick with ferocious intentsity.

"dead"

"Hmm?" The doctor replied, "I don't understand, than why is he here?"

"Hold on a minute, that is innapropriate and way out of line! I'-" Dick started, but Artemis cut him off,

"He's a close family friend. The name of the father is Wallace West. Any more questions?"

"No." The doctor replied in a conceited tone, "You're free to go."

Dick ushered Artemis out of the clinic with a fire. He sat Artemis down in his car, and drove her straight to his appartment, without saying a word. Oblivious to the silet tears streaming down Artemis' face.

When they at the appartment, they were met with a flash of lights and a sea of papparazzi.

"Is it true your Bruce Wayne's mistress?" one asked.

"Any comment on the rumor that Zatanna Zatara murdered your boyfriend?" another spat. Dick subsequently elbowed him in the face, and shoved their way through the remaining paparazzos. By the time they reached Dick's door, Artemis was completely sobbing. Dick picked her up, and brought her inside. Artemis felt herself being set down on a bed, so she curled up into a ball and fell asleep.

 **July 27, 18:12 CDT**

"Babe, what the hell is going on?" Zatanna exclaimed, as soon as she entered the door

"I promised him I'd protect her, and I, I failed him again!" Dick cried, tears forming in his eyes. Zatanna made her way over to him and embraced him fully, where he bagan to weep freely.

"Tell me what happened." Zatanna replied, in a soothing tone, as she held the broken hero.

 **July 28, 8:42 CDT**

Artemis awoke to the smell of coffee, leaving a bitter taste in her throat. She pulled up her aching body and ran to the bathroom adjacent to her, barely making it before vomiting up the contents of her stomach. The sound of approaching footsteps told her that someone was coming, and her nose told her that someone had coffee.

"Zatanna, I will puke on you if bring coffee near me!" Artemis shouted.

"How did you know it was me?" Zatanna asked.

"Dick's step is lighter!" Artemis chuckled lightly.

"Did you just call me fat?" Zatanna asked sarcastically, and they both laughed. Artemis hugged the toilet and retched again. When she looked up Zatanna could see tears in her eyes.

"Honey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Zatanna asked, concerned.

"It's just-" She took a deep breath, "I don't want to be the grieving girlfriend, I need to be strong, but I, I- can't do this without Wally!" She put her head in her hands.

"Ok, first of all, you will never- ever be alone in this, we will always be here for you." said Zatanna, sitting down next to Artemis on the bathroom tile, "And second, you are ever going to be without Wally, because he is in your heart, your memory, and in that little life inside of you." She concluded; wiping the tears from her friend's pale face.

"Thank you, Z." Artemis replied softly, before shifting onto her knees. "If Wally we here right now, I would kick him the groin for sticking me with these fucking hormones."

"Honey, this is just the beginning!" Zatanna smirked.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Artemis exclaimed.

"You want something to eat?" Zatanna asked.

"You've got no idea!"


	3. Cherry Dreams

**July 28, 10:30 CDT**

It took Dick, Zatanna, and Artemis nearly two hours to get their story straight. It still perplexed Artemis why they needed to have a story as fleshed out as this ready to go, but then again, she had just thrown her phone out the window because the goddamn Channel-8 news had found her number and had been calling her non-stop. It was decided that the best lie was the one closest to the truth, so should anyone ask, the trio would tell them that Artemis was an old friend of Dick's from High School, whose boyfriend had been tragically lost at sea while working on his thesis.

"Why can't we just tell the truth?" asked Artemis.

"That you are a superhero and your boyfriend, who also happens to be the superhero Kid Flash, was killed saving the entire world by being absorbed into the speed force, oh, but just after knocking you up." Zatanna replied.

"I hear it now." Artemis joked. "Anyway, I do have to go home and let Brucely out and feed him, and since you [Dick] drove me here, and I would really prefer to not repeat yesterday's events, so Zatanna; could you possibly take me home?"

"You got it!" Zatanna replied, grabbing her keys.

"Allons-y!" Artemis exclaimed, as the two women made their way out the door.

 **July 28, 11:05 CDT**

30 minutes and a hot shower later, Artemis stood in her bedroom getting ready for work, before something dawned on her. She turned to the mirror and lifted her shirt. For a second, Artemis thought that she could see a bump, though it was probably just wishful thinking. She put her hand on her abdomen, protectively.

"Well kid, I know that you're just the size of a... what is it?" she tried to remember the size comparison, as her Biology degree was not for naught. "Aghh, you're already screwing with my mind! Anyways, it's just you and me kid, but I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Otherwise your dad would have a fit!" Artemis smiled.

She lowered her shirt, turned around, and put on her boots. She still had a week of Compassionate Leave from STAR Labs, but hot damn if she was going to abuse something called "Compassionate Leave," she started rummaging around for her ID badge. Artemis opened one of the nightstand drawers next to the bed, and reached into the narrow drawer. Sure enough, she felt the ID badge and pulled it out, before looking down at the drawer to close it. her hands immediately sprang to her face and tears began welling in her eyes as she saw what was inside. A small velvet box lay in the corner of the drawer, with a shaking hand, Artemis picked up the box and opened it slowly. The tears were flowing freely now, because inside was a small silver band with a beautiful green gem in the middle.

"Oh, Wally." Artemis said, almost whispering. She cautiously pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. "Yes. I would have said yes without a doubt in the world."

 **July 28, 13:35 CDT**

Artemis barely realized that she was walking towards the Zeta tube until she was inside the Watchtower. She could see the stares and hear the hushed gossip people gave her as she made her way through the Watchtower, but she didn't really care, she just needed to talk to Wally. The Team's memorial hall was deserted when Artemis arrived, she made her way over to Wally's memorial and sat down next to it. She held the ring up to eye level so she could really look at it.

"Well that was one hell of a suprise you left me!" Artemis chuckled wiping the tears from her eyes. "Though it's definitely your kind of suprise to stick me with." Silent tears streamed down her face as the green jewel sparkled under the twinkling lights.

"Well, Babe, in the spirit of reciprocity have I got one gigantic suprise for you!" Artemis said, resting her head on the corner of the pedestal, "I guess there's really no other way for me to say this, but... congrats Kid-Frisky, ya' done knocked me up!" She laughed.

"Wherever you are, because if you are really dead I'm going to tear you a new and we both know that you're too scared of me to let that happen, so wherever you are Wallace Rudolph West, I hope you can hear me, because I really need you to know that you're going to be a father." Artemis stifled a yawn, "And that this kid of ours is the size of a cherry and he's all ready a handful. He's got me falling asleep in the middle of the day, wrecking Dick's bathroom, forgetting things-yep, this kid is definitely yours!" Then she realized something,

"Did I just call _it_ a _he_?" Artemis expounded, before settling back and closing her eyes. "I like that, I think its mother's intuition!" She chuckled, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 _"Artemis? Arrrrtyyy?!" A voice called to Artemis. She opened her eyes and met the gaze of the red-headed boy of her dreams._

 _"I just had the worst dream about you!" She exclaimed_

 _"Was it sexy?" Asked the speedster, who was subsequently whacked in the face with Artemis' pillow. A sharp stab in her abdomen made Artemis bolt upwards. She was astonished to find herself flaunting a very pregnant belly. Wally bent over and planted a kiss on her midsection. The sensation of Wally's lips against her made her shudder, it felt like it had been so long._

 _"Man, this kid's really got a future in MMA, he's kicking up a storm." Wally snickered, having placed his hand on Artemis' swollen belly. Normally, Artemis would have said something sny, but she just locked eyes with Wally and pulled him in for a deep kiss._

 _"If this is what I get after every nightmare, I'm going to put spiders in your coat pockets!"_

 _"Oh my god you're evil!" Artemis exlaimed._

 _"Oh no you have discovered my dastardly deeds! Mwahahaha!" Replied the speedster, jokingly. Sitting up, the speedster removed his hand from Artemis' belly and stood up. "Hey Ar-" his voice was cut off, and replaced with a haunting echo that shook Artemis to her core, "Aartemmiss, caan youu hearr mmeee?" The voice asked._

 _"Wally? Baby, I'm right here Wally!" Artemis shouted, a wind picking up inside the bedroom, "I can hear you baby, I'm right here!"_

 _"Iss iitt rreealyy yyoouu?" The voice asked._

 _"It's me, baby!"_

 _"Ssaave mmme!" The voice cried, before the entire room began to melt away._

* * *

 **July 28, 15:48 CDT**

"Wallyy!" Artemis cried, at the top of her lungs. Before being violently shook by a very concerned looking Superboy.

"Artemis, Artemis! It was just a nightmare, you're okay." said the hero, a concerned look on his brow and in his words.

"No, it- it wasn't a dream, he's out there!" Artemis cried. She sprang up, and would have fallen flat on her face if Superboy hadn't caught her. "Sorry, I must just have stoood up to quickly." She said, plastering on a fake smile.

"Artemis..." He said, strained, "I've known you, quite literally, my entire life. That's not going to work on me."

"What's not going to work?" Said Artemis.

"Arty, you were shrieking bloody murder in your sleep, I'm worried for you! You practically passed out a minute ago, I'm taking you to the med bay!" he said, in a calming tone.

"No, I'm perfectly fine." Artemis deflected, turning to leave. Superboy reached over and lightly flung her over his shoulder. Normally Artemis would have blocked and countered Conner, but in this moment she felt too exhausted to fight.

"I made a promise that I would keep my friends safe!" Countered Superboy, a sharpness in his tone that Artmeis had barely ever heard.

"You all need to stop coddling me! I don't need to be rolled up in bubble rap! I know that you think that this is you keeping some promise you made to Wally, but it's not!" The clone made his way to the door and began to make his way down the corridor, desite Artemis's many protests. Finally, defeated, Artemis stopped fighting Conner's grasp and mumbled something that would have been virtually inaudible for anyone without superhuman hearing.

"Just listen." She said.

"I am listening to you." replied Conner.

"No, Conner, listen to _me_!" Said the archer stearnly. The hero set Artemis down gently and layed his hand on her should, then closed his eyes. A few moments of silence between the two were broken with an sudden expression upon Superboy's face that could only be described as some kind of mixture of joy, terror, and utter suprise.

"You're-" he stumbled over his words, searching for the right ones, "you're pregnant." Artemis could already see the mountain of question's racing through his mind beginning to bubble over.

"I'm fine, Conner! I just stumbled because I stood up to fast, which was probably amplified by the fact that I'm probably a tad bit anemic, okay? I'm fine." Shouted Artemis, annoyance beginning to creep up on her.

"But you're not a docto-" he began.

"I majored in Biology at Stanford, Asshat!" She screamed, "Also, I'm really hormonal right now, so I sware to god if you try to mansplain pregnancy to me; I. will. end. you."

"message received." replied the clone.

"Good boy." answered Artemis.

"One question," asked Superboy.

"What is it now?" groaned the archer.

"Right after you woke up, you said that Wally was still alive." He asked, "what were you talking about." Artemis's face darkened.

"We need to call in the Team, and Martian Manhunter, and Batman... Fucking hell! Call everbody, Conner!" Artemis exclaimed, "I need to call Zatanna."


	4. Chak'r're'naan

**Hey there Readers,**

 **I was just curious how you felt on the length of my chapters. Primarily, if they are to short. I want to get my story right, but in a way that is coherent to others. Also, how you would feel about the inclusion of other languages in this story, none of that google translate shit, I actually speak French and German. Please let me know if you have thoughts.**

 **Best Wishes and Apologies for Egregious Errors in Grammar,**

 **Mazie**

 **(P.S. Sorry for the wait on this chapter, and how short it is!)**

* * *

 **July 29, 12:20 CDT**

Artemis sat at the head of a long sleek conference table. Scanning the room, she was surprised to see that nearly the entire original team was there. Superboy, Miss Martian, Aqualad, and Rocket were to her left while Robin and Zatanna were to her right. She was startled to see the gruff but faces of Batman, Flash, and Martian Manhunter also in the room. Artemis rubbed her temples methodically, preparing for the onslaught ahead.

"I'm assuming that you're wondering why I've called on you guys," Artemis said, rising up. Zatanna looked up at Artemis, silently nudging the blonde on. "As some of you are aware, Wally left me a few surprises before he disappeared." She continued. Batman cocked an eyebrow under his cowl, 'disappeared' was much different than dead.

"So...um... well-" Artemis paused and took a deep, shuddering breath. "Wally got me pregnant!" She blurted. There was a short gasp from Rocket, and Artemis could see tears brimming in M'gann's eyes, but she had expected that. What she was truly taken aback by was Flash's reaction. He nearly fell over hearing Artemis's words and had to grab the wall to steady himself. He turned to face the archer, who was staring straight at the hero. He reached up and pulled off his cowl, revealing, not a hero, but a broken man, overtaken by guilt, allowing himself to believe that he was responsible for his young nephew's death. That he took away his chance to be a father, the love, and devotion to which Barry had just been introduced to. He cupped his face and stared at Artemis for a while before composing himself and returning the mask to his face, being pulled back to reality.

"But- uh... that's not all why you're here; at all, really." Artemis explained. "You're here because I need your help. Wally's alive, I saw him!" The entire room was taken aback, their faces grim.

"Where did you see him?" Asked M'gann, her voice as timid as a mouse.

"I saw him in a dream," responded Artemis. The others exchanged knowing looks to each other, all of which Artemis caught. "Listen, I'm not going crazy!" she said, "I heard him, he spoke to me!"

"Artemis," Aqualad began, "grief is a complicated thing and-"

"You shut your mouth right now!" Artemis snapped, "I'm not going crazy!" she paused, "Okay, M'gann and J'onn, prove to them I'm not crazy! You can look inside my mind right?"

"Yes, it is possible." Stated the elder martian.

"Then do it!" Artemis commanded. J'onn glided over to where Artemis stood and rested his hands on her temples.

"Go back to the memory," Said the elder martian. Artemis recalled the image of Wally's face smiling as he pressed a hand against her belly. Then, she saw him fade away into nothing but a haunting voice, echoing off of her eardrums. All the lights in the room began to flicker, an electric hum coursing through the room. Quickly, Manhunter removed his hands from Artemis's temples and the flickering stopped. He stood in silence for what like to Artemis, hours, before speaking.

"I have never felt such a connection before." He started.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Asked Artemis, bewildered.

"I have only read about such tethers, but I have never encountered one in person so I may be incorrect," He continued, pausing to consider his nest words carefully.

"What is it?" Artemis begged, "What are you talking about?"

"On my planet, we call it 'Chaw'k're'naan'. Here, this would translate to something along the lines of 'That which binds the father to life.'"

"Chaw'k're'naan is real?" interjected M'gann, "I thought that was just some old legend!"

"It's is quite real, but so rare that it has become mythic." replied J'onn.

"What in the hell is- whatever you said?" Blurted Artemis.

"I know the story!" M'gann spouted. She rubbed her hands together as she began:

 _There was once a village in a valley that was surrounded by three hills. On the first hill there lived a beautiful green martian named Ja'nna, whose eyes shone like all the stars in the sky, and whose voice was like a lullaby. On the third hill there lived a shy, sweet martian named M'ccal, who had never spoken a word to anyone as his eyes were always too deep in a book. It seemed to all that no two had ever been more diametrically opposed. However, there was something that seemed to call the two together, and they soon fell deeply, deeply in love with eachother. But there could be no happy ending for these two, for on the second hill above the valley lived an old, evil, white martian '_ \- all the stories had an evil white martian, it's so stupid-' M'gann continued,

anyway, _that old martian could not stand to see the two in love, let alone begin a family together, because he believed that Ja'nna was his; that her love belonged to him. So one night, the old martian concocted a plan, and slunk over to the cottage that M'ccal and Ja'nna shared, a dastardly plan in his heart. He snuck into the house and found where the two slept. He raised a long silver knife above his head, 'If you will not be mine, you won't be anyone else's' he shouted, waking the martian from slumber. He plunged the knife downward to steal a killling blow, but though Ja'nna waited for the pain of the blade it did not come. She opened her eyes to see her true love's body at the foot of their bed. M'ccal had thrown himself in front of the blade to save Ja'nna. With his last bit of strength, M'ccal pulled the knife from his chest and sank it into the old martian's, killing him instantly. Ja'nna ran to M'ccal and cradled his head, and with his dying breath he uttered his last and only words, 'I will be with you, always.'_

 _Ja'nna wailed over his body, cursing whatever gods may be for taking him away. She offered her life and the life of her child, if only to bring him back. Suddenly there was a chilling wind around the whole village, centered around that small cottage, M'ccal's body began to rise and shone from within, then all went black. M'ccal awoke to the cries of an infant, and looked to see Ja'nna cradling their child in her arms, 'it is a miracle, you have been brought back to me' she cried. M'ccal took the infant in his arms and looked to Ja'nna, his face falling. Blood stained her chest, and slowly grew, until it seemed there was more blood outside of her body than in. "Live happy," she whispered before falling back into his arms, dead. So M'ccal lived the life Ja'nna had given him, and raised their child to greatness. The child whose eyes shone like all the stars in the sky._

"And that's the story of Chaw'k're'naan," M'gann spoke.

"So we can bring him back?!" Artemis cried.

"Possibly, I must research the phenomena first." Martian Manhunter ansered, before sinking into the ground.

"Oh my god, M'gann, we can get him back!" Artemis exclaimed.

"Arty, it _is_ from a legend, just- just don't get your hope's to high." M'gann replied.

"What the hell, M'gann? What is that supposed to mean?" Artemis clamored.

"It's only that-" M'gann started, but was cut off.

"You know what, nevermind, just get the hell out of my way!" Artemis shouted, pushing past M'gann out of the conference room, and sprinted down the corridor towards the Zeta tube.

"Artemis! Wait!" A voice called from behind, and Artemis whirled around. Barry ran up to her, and removed his cowl.

"Artemis, is there any way that I can convince you to stay? If only to get a check-up." He asked.

"Why?" Artemis replied, twisting the green band around her finger.

"You know, speedster babies, and all that." The hero answered, as her ran a hand throuhg his hair. Artemis would sware that she heard a catch in his voice, as if he was about to cry but she quickly shrugged off the thought.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but-" Artemis stopped. The seemingly tough and care-free hero looked so tired, "You know, uh, yeah, actually that sound like a good idea." She conceded. "There are just some things that I need to do first." The Flash nodded in understanding, and escorted her to the Zeta tubes.


End file.
